Shaft-support.



No. 673,242. Patented Apr. 30, I90l.

C. A. CLARK.

' SHAFTSUPPOBT.

(Application filed Dec. 13, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. CLARK, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO i JAMES S. HODGINS, OF SAME PLACE.

SHAFT-8U PPO RT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,242, dated April 30, 1901.

Application filed December 13, 1900- Serial No- 39,708- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Flint, in the county of Genesee and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improve ments in Shaft-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to shaft or tongue supports for vehicles; and the object of the same is to construct a device of this character by which the shafts or tongue may be held up clear of the ground and at any angle thereto. With this object in view I have designed the simple and novel construction described in this specification and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forminga part thereof, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the front portion of a wagon equipped with my device. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail of one of the catches and a fragment of one of the curved arms.

Like numerals of reference designate like parts in the different views of the drawings.

The numeral 1 designates the shafts of a Vehicle, which shafts are connected by a crossbar 2. Mounted on this cross-bar 2 are two arms 3, traversed throughout a portion of their length by slots 4. Bolts 4 extend transversely of these slots 4, and pivoted thereto are curved arms 5. These curved arms 5 have a series of rounded recesses 7 therein. To provide means for holding these arms 5 in any desired position, so as to retain the shafts 1 man elevated position, catches 7 are supplied. These catches 7 are mounted in standards 8, rigidly secured to the axle 9 of the wagon. The standards 8 are cut by slots 10 and 11 and have apertures 12 formed in the heads thereof. The shanks 13 of the catches 7 are slidingly mounted in the apertures 12 and are surrounded by spiral springs 14, which springs are held between heads 15 on the shanks and the outer ends of the slots 10. The shanks 13 each project a short distance 13 beyond the heads 15, and thus serve to engage the recesses 7 This distance 13 can be varied, as the nuts constituting the heads can be screwed up on the shanks. Crosspins 16 pass through transverse apertures in the shanks 13 and extend to the slots 11,- which thus form guides to hold the catches in. position. Rollers 17, having axles 18, are mounted in the slots 11, and thereby provide roller-bearings for the arms 5, which extend down between these rollers and the heads of the catches 7.

It will be evident from the construction just described that the catches 7 will engage and hold the arms in any position, and the shafts 1 can be set at any height desired.

I do not wish to be limited as to details of construction, as these may be modified in many particulars without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the class described, the combination, with a pivoted shaft, of a curved arm provided with a series of shallow rounded recesses, and a yielding catch mounted to engage said recesses in said curved arm, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the classdescribed, the combination, with a pivoted shaft, of a curved recessed arm pivoted to said shaft, a catch having a shank mounted to slide and to engage the recesses in said arm and a spiral spring surrounding said shank, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a pivoted shaft, of a curved arm pivoted to saidshaft, a roller mounted to bear against said curved arm, and a springactuated catch arranged to act in opposition to said roller to engage said curved arm, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES A. CLARK.

Witnesses:

JAMES VAN VLEET, JAUD VAN VLEET. 

